1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for supporting edit of a document.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known techniques for using a computer device to edit or create a document by laying out objects (such as digital content items) within a certain area. Guide lines are referred to when laying out objects, and grid lines are widely used as such guide lines (for example, refer to publications JP-A-8-194832, JP-B-2003-523014, JP-A-2006-189989, JP-A-64-17156, and JP-A-3-026978).
JP-A-8-194832 discloses a technique in which uniform grid lines are not used over an entire area but the size of grid lines is changed for an arbitrary area. JP-B-2003-523014 discloses a technique for generating grid lines in accordance with parameters indicating, for example, a number of characters, font type, and font size. JP-A-2006-189989 discloses a technique for selecting a grid as a target to which an object is snapped when an object is dragged by use of a mouse. JP-A-64-17156 and JP-A-3-269678 disclose a system in which a user selects a desired grid line from plural grid lines, and a system capable of setting up a desired grid line.
According to the technique disclosed in JP-A-2003-523014, users are required to input parameters in order to generate a grid line. The techniques disclosed in JP-A-2003-523014, JP-A-64-17156, and JP-A-3-269678 give rise to a problem that grid lines that are suitable for creating a balanced or aesthetically pleasing layout are difficult to select. Further, the technique disclosed in JP-B-2006-189989 is not effective in improving aesthetic appearance of a layout, although this technique can smooth movement of objects.